In the processing for the integration of active agents and additives in the end products in the foodstuff, cosmetic and pharmaceutical sector as well as in the nutrient solutions for cells or bacterial cultures, stable, homogeneous, fine distribution of the active agents or additives in the respective end product stands in foreground due to reasons of production technology, safety and practicability in the applications, compliance with the legal regulations as well as visual appearance.
Besides the stability of the homogeneity, which must often be guaranteed for several years, optimally fine distribution of the active substances or additives in smallest volume units of the respective end products plays a decisive role. The integration of the water soluble active agents or additives in the water-containing end products is in general possible with finest distribution of particles.
In contrast to that the integration of the active agents or additives, which are fat-soluble and are not soluble, or soluble with difficulty, in water, into the end products represents, a problem from the physical viewpoint, because such active agents or additives can be integrated in the end products for the purpose of achieving homogeneous distribution only after the corresponding time-consuming and elaborate matrix design (oil/oil mixture or oil/water emulsion).
In order, for instance, to integrate, a fat-soluble substance such as retinol or beta carotene (daily requirement about 2 mg/day) into a quantity of the end product, which is consumed or applied in a day, the volume of these small quantities of retinol or P-carotene must be increased through undesirable addition of a disproportionately large quantity of oil, so that an optimally homogeneous distribution can be ensured in the end product.
However, this expansion of the volume, undesirable but necessary due to physical reasons, of the aforementioned substances for the purpose of achieving homogeneous distribution in the end products is technologically essential both in the foodstuff as well as in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical products.
The oil-water emulsion of these substances for the purpose of integration into the end products is not less elaborate, whereby, due to the particle size of at least 1μ in the emulsion, no optimally fine distribution in the end product is possible. Apart from the fact that the substances that are not soluble, or soluble with difficulty, in water, lead to problems in the processing for reasons mentioned above, and can result in poor homogeneity, these substances, incorporated in oil/oil mixtures or oil/water emulsions, can be resorbed only to a limited extent.